Our best planet-hunting telescope has come to the end of its mission By Leah Crane The Kepler Space Telescope’s planet-hunting days are over. NASA announced on 30 October that the spacecraft has run out of fuel and will soon be shut down completely. Since its launch in 2009, the o... read more

From journeys into mines to explorations of volcanoes on the ocean floor, deep voyages reveal the richness of the planet’s deep biosphere. About a 20-minute drive north of the industrial town of Timmins, Ontario, the ground gives way to a gaping pit stretching more than 100 meters acros... read more

Microsoft is currently running an interesting set of hardware experiments. The company is taking a souped-up shipping container stuffed full of computer servers and submerging it in the ocean. The most recent round is taking place near Scotland’s Orkney Islands, and involves a total of 864... read more

It sounds like science fiction: A research program funded by the U.S. government plans to create virus-carrying insects that, released in vast numbers, could help crops fight threats such as pests, drought, or pollution. “Insect Allies,” as the $45 million, 4-year program is called, was la... read more

Perception and scepticism do not bode well for the business and science interface The interaction between business and science is not always smooth. The difference in culture between the two fields often means that there is a lot of misunderstanding or a difference in expectations on eith... read more

When arts and humanities research fosters deep change Innovation has been on the lips of many politicians and policy-makers alike in Europe’s capitals over the past few decades. Innovation comes across as the one-size-fits-all solution for all of the economic problems of Europe. But what ... read more